May 26, 2013

Another bet from Uruguay, as we have another match that promises a lot.
Both teams are still in the fight for glory, even though it's a
different kind of glory. Penarol are knee-deep in the title race, 3
points behind Clausura league-leaders Defensor,
and one point above them in the Annual table (everything is important
here: Penarol won Apertura so if they will also win Clausua they will be
automatically crowned champions. If they lose Clausura, they will play
in the semi-final with Defensor... if they win the annual table and the
semi-final, they will be crowned champions). And for this game, they are
putting everything on the line, as they have practiced with a very
offensive line-up: two forwards (Zalayeta and Pacheco) and two quick
wingers (Estoyanoff and Nunez), plus a move in the defensive line, where
offensive minded Aguirregaray will play as a right wing-back. A more
offensive formation than usual, as they will be going all out for the
title. Juventud, on the other hand, are going for their qualification to
Copa Sudamericana, which will be an incredible feat for them. They are
tied on points with Wanderers and Fenix for the 6th place, the last that
provides continental qualification. And
besides this, which should provide extra motivation, they also have a
solid home record, with 4-1-2, and just a couple of weeks ago they
managed to beat Nacional by 2-0. They certainly won't roll over, and
they should try and exploit the spaces that Penarol will leave behind.
So I'm confident that we will see several goals here. GL!

This should be a match that promises a lot, as we will see in action two
of the most offensive teams in the league. League leaders Sporting
Cristal seem to be in a league of their own, as they have the best
attack so far, with 10 goals scored more than any other team. And they
are the strongest when they play at home, where they scored 23 goals.
They are still undefeated at home, and they also have a positive record
when it comes to under/over, with 8 of their last 10 games ending with
at least 3
goals. On the other side of the field, we will have a surprising Sport
Huancayo, who have been performing above expectations and find
themselves on 4th place, with 9 points snatched in away games (a very
good record for a traditional 'home' team). And I'm confident that we
should be seeing some goals here, as Huancayo have the second best
offense in the league, with 24 goals scored, but also one of the fragile
defenses, with 23 conceded (only 3 teams have a worse record). Huancayo
have failed to score in only 2 games so far. Cristal will be at full
strength, without any absences of injuries, and they will also repeat
the line-up that trashed San Martin last week by 3-0. Goals should be
plenty. GL!

Another interesting match in Uruguay, where Racing will be facing
Liverpool. The hosts still have a remote chance of qualifying for the
Copa Sudamericana, but with low chances of that happening, they will
probably play for their second pressing issue: saving the team from
relegation. The
chances of that happening are also low (Progreso needs to win both
remaining games, while Racing needs to lose them), but I'm expecting
them to go out and clinch it today.So even if it won't be much, there is
still something to play for here. Meanwhile, in Liverpool's camp,
things are not even close to being calm or good. They don't have any
pressing needs right now, as they are safe from relegation and without
any chances of getting to a continental competition. But instead of
having a quiet end of the season, the fans are out to get coach Muller's
head. Besides the very poor results (only 2 wins in the last 10 games,
and just 3 wins throughout the competition), team-captain and
fan-favorite Macchi has been left out of the team, due to a coach
decision. The directors are backing the coach, so the fans are pretty
much against the entire management of the team, and have repeatedly
protested against them. Word is, even some players are against the
coach,
and would like to see him go. So without results, amidst an internal
tempest and without anything at stake, Racing should take the points
here, especially since they've recorded quite some nice results
recently: draws at Nacional and El Tanque, and an amazing victory
against Penarol, coming from 0-1 down to win it 2-1. GL!